Winston Churchill in pictures

Winston Churchill died in January 24, 1965

Sir Winston Churchill shows the peace sign while smoking a cigar in 1954

He added: “It has been reported back to us, not only here but in America, and across the whole of the country not just in the big metropolitan areas.

“We’ve been hearing it a lot. It’s very surprising. It very rarely happens other than at the premiere or special screenings of the films, so it’s quite extraordinary. It’s completely unusual, totally unusual.

“When we decided to make the film it was two years ago. We made the film because we believed it was a fascinating piece of history that most people don’t know the detail of, that it was incredibly engaging and exciting in the way it was going to be told, and it was entertaining.”

Some audience members have claimed the show of standing ovations was a resurgence of the Dunkirk Spirit captured in the film.